1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an autonomous evolution type hardware design system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an autonomous evolution type hardware design system in which a hardware specification is autonomously evolved and adapted according to its object of usage without manual hardware designing.
2. Description of the Background Art
The application range of electronic circuits has increased as large scale integrated circuit (LSI) technology advances, giving rise to the need of various types of hardwares of high circuit complexity. Since it is almost impossible to design such a complex hardware entirely by hand, various computer-aided design (CAD) systems have been developed.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example of such a CAD system. In the design operation using the system of FIG. 6, the designer first enters a hardware description language (HDL) program via an input unit 21 to describe operations of circuitry. The source entered is stored in HDL source 22. HDL is only one way of example of describing the operation of circuitry, and various HDLs can be considered such as an HDL describing the connection of a transistor circuit, an HDL describing a netlist of a logic gate, and an HDL describing a hardware specification of a level higher than the circuit operation.
The circuit description stored in HDL source 22 is provided to a simulator 23 where grammatical description error is checked. Next, confirmation is made whether the described circuit carries out an operation as expected with respect to an input signal by simulation. Then, the description of the circuit is provided to a synthesizer 24 where circuit diagram data 25 or mask pattern data 26 for LSI manufacturing is produced by a synthesizer program.
Description of circuitry using an HDL must be first carried out manually even if the CAD system of FIG. 6 is used. Description of circuitry adaptable for its object of usage by means of an HDL requires training and skill.
In general, there are many ways of describing circuitry by HDL that carries out an operation applicable to its object of usage. Particularly, when the architecture thereof differs from each other, the form of description varies extensively. The eventual circuits differing in description often have a great difference in its performance such as response speed even when its operation is identical. There is generally no way of identifying which architecture is most superior since this depends upon the content of the input signal. Even a skilled designer cannot easily determine the most superior architecture.
Regarding the problem of selecting an appropriate architecture, there is only the method of carrying out computer simulation on the basis of a plurality of design examples prepared in advance, or to actually manufacture an LSI circuit and use it under real environment to compare the performance thereof.
Since great man power is required in designing even if a CAD system is used, only one type, or few types at most, of design examples can be prepared. Instead of designing an optimum circuit, a circuit that operates is provisionally produced from which the performance is to be improved depending upon the skill and experience of the designer.